Eric+Dolen

Eric Dolen RESEARCH QUESTION The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of homework on academic achievement with respects to the type of assignments as it is related to its purpose. The vast majority of research done on the impact of homework upon student achievement has focused on time students spend doing homework. Homework has an implicated time cost for: students, families and teachers. Are educators getting the “best of their buck” with regards to assigning homework? What type of homework assignments produce the best desired results? Do“traditional” homework methods work best?

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF HOMEWORK The topic of homework has been regularly debated throughout the twentieth century. Early in the twentieth century the prevailing idea was that the mind needed regular mental exercise to grow stronger, therefore, students were expected to do a great deal of homework that promoted rote memorization skills. In the 1940s, there was a shift towards homework being utilized to increase a student’s ability to solve problems. The 1950s brought forth a concern that children were spending too much time completing homework at the expense of their social experiences, outdoor activities and sleep. However, the Soviets’ launch of Sputnik in October, 1957 quickly reversed this notion. Public belief was that the educational system lacked rigor- especially in the areas of mathematics and science. School systems responded by increasing the homework load upon its students in an effort to accelerate learning. By the 1970s, this trend had reversed once again with a number of educational theorists believing that over burdensome homework expectations were having negative mental effects upon students. In 1983, the United States government’s National Commission on Excellence in Education’s published the report A Nation at Risk. The report concluded that the American educational system was failing, and schools were not producing graduates that could compete with peers in other industrialized countries. Once again, schools responded by concluding that students weren’t required to work hard enough outside of the school day. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCBL) of 2001 added additional accountability measures to school districts. Fearful of facing penalties through NCBL, many schools again increased the amount of homework given to students. By viewing homework through a historical lens it comes as no shock that many parents, teachers, school boards and educational theorists are once again questioning the benefits of homework. **With the continual ebb and flow debate over homework and its impact upon children, there is the unanswered question of what are the best educational practices of how to utilize the concept of homework for the sake of improving academic achievement.**

**RESEARCH OVERVIEW** -Elementary Level- little to no impact (however, may help build work ethic skills- effects unknown) -Junior High – approximately 50% the impact as for high school students (1 -2 hours a night) -High School – positive correlation exists (Cooper 1989b).
 * **Amount of time spent on homework has some impact.**


 * **Reasons/ Purpose teachers assign homework has impact upon learning.**
 * -**practice, preparation, participation, personal development, parent- teacher communication, parent-child relations, peer interactions, policy, public relations, and punishment (Van Voorhis 2004)


 * Students that are assigned interesting and well-selected homework tasks**
 * demonstrated higher homework effort and expectancy that proved to be beneficial for learning. Overly challenging homework assignments had just the opposite effect (Dettmers, Trautwein, Lüdtke, Kunter & Baumert, 2010).**

**ADDITIONAL RESEARCH NEEDED** **Traditional Math Homework Assignments vs. Modified Math Homework** Research is needed that compares students that are given traditional mathematics (extension of the day’s lesson of the new material) homework with students that are given homework that is more thoughtfully chosen. This thoughtfully chosen homework may contain a small portion of problems that relate directly to the material introduced during the current day’s lesson, but the majority of the homework would be practicing previously mastered critical learning standards. This could also include application problems and other anticipatory types of problems. Does the type of homework given impact student learning and achievement?

**PROPOSED RESEARCH**

The proposed research would compare the academic achievement of students that received the modified, carefully chosen math homework to the control group that received the regular, traditional homework. Freshmen Algebra I (M117) course would be utilized as the sample. Explore score would be used to validate the homogeneity of the experimental and control groups. D211 semester bench mark exams would serve as the measurement tool.

**NEXT STEP** Work with D211 and/or Fremd HS math chair to explore possible summer curriculum project to create new homework pacing guide to use with experiment group.

**INVITATION FOR CLASS MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE** Do you feel that our high school students have too much, not enough or just the right amount of homework? Based upon feedback you may hear from your students and observations.
 * Questions:**

Do you feel homework should be graded and part of a student’s grade? Is this the only way to motivate students to complete homework?

What methods have you learned, over time as a teacher,that has helped you make homework more productive and meaningful for students?

Other comments and feedback are welcome.


 * VISUAL**